Funeral Celebrant Melbourne

Funerals are not often thought upon with joy, but they are an integral part of our lives, and are often seen by our loved ones as a way of saying good-bye. A good funeral is not just a ceremony but also a way of celebrating a person’s life and helping to cope with our grief and loss. With grace and dignity I can provide memorable funeral celebrant services perfect for Melbourne residents.

I remember going to my sister's funeral in 2000 and being very disappointed with the Celebrant that conducted the ceremony. Firstly, he was late and all through the service I felt that it was obvious he didn't know my sister at all. He hadn't bothered to find out about her and I left the funeral home feeling very unhappy about this.

A couple of years later, I went to the funeral of the mother of a work colleague. During the service the Celebrant mixed up the names of the deceased's husband and son.

I felt so outraged by this, how could he do this? Surely he should get the details right? My colleague and his family were going through enough grief without dealing with the insensitivity of this Celebrant.

Both of these times I felt that I could have done a much better job.

At the time I was working full time for a large communication company and felt that I needed a change, I saw an ad in the newspaper about becoming a Celebrant. The memories of the funerals came back to me and when I discussed this with family and friends; my thoughts on becoming a Celebrant were welcomed with overwhelming enthusiasm and confidence in my ability to perform this role proficiently and skilfully. By taking the time to know the bereaved and the recently departed I can deliver sympathetic and authentic funeral celebrant services to people across Melbourne’s greater area.

When someone close to you dies, you suddenly feel like there is a hole in your life. The emotions of losing a loved one can be very traumatic but sometimes it helps to be able to talk about this person.

Talking about your dearly departed can bring back memories from your lives together. This is where I come in. I can help you by listening to you about your life and love for him or her and obtain all the info from you and your family so I can create a eulogy that will not only validate his/her life but will also help you and your family and friends celebrate their life as well.

Tell Your Story - Your Way

Have you ever thought about writing your own Eulogy, Why? Surely it would be easier to leave this task to your family. After all isn’t it a bit morbid to speak about your own mortality. How many funerals have you been to when you sit back later and reflect about how you will be remembered? Or how you would like to be remembered.

When we were young we can recall bedtime stories that began with “once upon a time” and finish with a smile on our face as the prince or princess found true love and everyone lived happily ever after. In the living years our stories are one of joyous occasions or sad remembrances, but nonetheless a story shared. So in our passing shouldn’t we encompass all the important moments in our lives that define the person we were and not someone else’s recollections? There will still be a place for that but in addition to your eulogy, not in place of it.

Preparing and writing your own eulogy provides a unique opportunity. You may consider what others would say about you but you can write it with your perception and from your point of view.

Some will say that arranging the funeral can work a therapy, keeping us busy and this can be very true, “busy hands, busy mind” but the fact is, arranging a funeral requires as much help as possible and knowing what a loved one wanted is the best guide possible. Having a eulogy already written for a family can help form the funeral but it doesn’t mean that the family do not get to express their feelings as well, as bereaved members can still add their stories and memories.

But what about the real you? The essence of who you really are can only be told by one person and that is you. Often, we folks have people around us that claim to understand us, know us better than we know ourselves, and this is quite possibly true when dealing with the world out there. A loved one may know our strengths and weaknesses, our moods, how we interact with others, how we are affected by the environment around us, but there is still that part of us that can only be classed as private.

Precious Good-Byes

Scatteredashes.info, is a new website, dedicated to recording the scattering or storage location of loved ones who have been cremated worldwide.

Here are a few readings to help personalize the service. I have many more poems which may be appropriate for your service and I am more than happy to help to find the reading that brings comfort.

Do not stand at my grave and weepBy Mary Elizabeth FryeDo not stand at my grave and weep,I am not there; I do not sleep.I am a thousand winds that blow,I am the diamond glints on snow,I am the sun on ripened grain,I am the gentle autumn rain.When you awaken in the morning’s hushI am the swift uplifting rushOf quiet birds in circling flight.I am the soft star-shine at night.Do not stand at my grave and cry,I am not there; I did not die.

CRY NOT FOR ME…by Ruth Van Gramberg Shadows fall upon the world of my loved onesThey no longer see the dew upon the roseThe sun has slipped behind a darkened rain cloudTheir souls are clenched in pain as sorrow growsFrom the surface of their minds they have set forthPursuing each daily chore with melancholy faceThat yields no more, no less than askedAnd yet, I long to reach right out and say aloudCry not for me my friends, hear the music in my heartAnd kiss my memory-‘Farewell’.I have lived so well upon this earthI have followed many paths to reach the sunIf I had troubles, or pain, or heartachesI cherished more the smiles, a thousand more, when oneHad said to me in friendship – ‘I wish you well!’They were sweet words I treasured long.To the hilltops, to the clouds to the moon and stars beyondTo a pasture glistening with fresh rain – I runSo, cry not for me, my friends, hear the music in my heartAnd kiss my memory ‘Farewell’.

DON'T CRY FOR ME By Carol PoolDon't cry for me now that I'm not hereI've just gone beyond to somewhere quite nearMy troubled soul now freed from painHas now returned from whence it cameI've taken now't with me, nothing new, nothing oldBut the love you gave me and the memories I holdThose are the things that mattered to meBut I was blind - I could not seeSo stretch out your hand, help another in strifeAnd something worthwhile, will be gained from my life!